Construction of railroads and tramways



Nov. 11, 1925. 1,561,557

' a. H. J. MAAS CONSTRUCTION OF RAILROADS AND TRMWAYS .Filed S9pt. 19, 1923 PH/hi4 Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES GOTTFRIED H. J. MAAS, OF BERLIN-STEGLITZ, GERMANY.

CONSTRUCTION OF RAILROADS AND TRAMWAYS.

Application filed September 19, 1923. Serial No. 663,624.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GOTTFRIED H. J. Mans, a citizen of Germany, a resident of 88 Schlossstrasse, in the city of Berlin-Steglitz, in Prussia and Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Constructions of Railroads and Tramways-namely, a track without requiring widening the gauge and without raising the outer rail in the curves, also a tire for the wheels of the rolling stock adapted to such track for railroads and tramways-of which the following is a specification.

The invention herein illustrated relates to an improvement in the run of cars on curves of the railroad and the tramway, in order to diminish vibrations of cars and to preserve the rails and the whole track, especially on curves.

For this purpose the track of the curves must be laid without raising the outer rail and without widening the gauge, and the centrifugal force of the running cars is neutralized' by other means.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section through the track and a view of an axle with wheels, showing the principle of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar cross-section, as before, for tramways on the same scale, as before.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section through the heads of the rails of the track and through the rims or tires t of the wheels, which have prominent arches at the underside, running on inclined upper faces or tops of the heads of the rails, and flan es f, with vertical planes against the vertlcal side faces of the railheads. The construction of Fig. 3 is designed for railroads.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section for tramways with the usual grooves or slots 8 in the heads of the rails and with tongues or keys is on the tires having rounded portion 1 at the underside and running on the inclined planes of the ground or bottom of the grooves between the sidewalls cm.

Fig. 5 is a diagram of forces.

The hereafter described construction of the track and of the tire of the carriagewheels is also applicable in its essential points for railroad lines with wooden ties.

The essence of the invention consists in the feature, that the elevation of the outer rail of the curves is replaced and compensated by equally directed inclinations of the upper surfaces of the heads of both rails downward toward the centre of the curve of the track. This inclination is adapted to the radius of the curve A; and the tires 25 run on these inclined surfaces with a rounded portion 7', Figs, 1, 3, or with a key is having agrounded portion r at the underside Figs. 2 and 4. he inclination a, Fig. 5, is measured so, that the component F. cos a of the centrifugal force F, effective in the inclined upper plane, is equal to the component G. sin a of the load of wheel G, effective in the same plane. Then the friction produced from both the components F. sin a and G. cos a, standing vertically to the inclined surface, is equal a (F sin a-l-G cos a) and obviates a sliding of the rounded por tion 9" sideways during the run of the wheels.

In order to guard effectively the fast running train against derailment, the hitherto used form of the flange is furthermore altered and modified, as Fig. 3 shows. The sideface of the flange f is made substantially vertical in accordance stantially vertical sideface of the rail-head of vertically standing rails.

The here discussed invention is applicable also for tralnways-lines. Fig. 4 shows the construction, which has great similarity, at the first glance, with the existing construction. But this similarity is only apparent. Both structures are very different from each other. The tire of the existing tramwaycars runs on the side-walls m0 of the tramway-rail, the tire of the here discussed cars runs by means of the key is, made round at the underside, on the base of the groove 8 between the side-walls aw, and this base is not horizontal, but inclined downwards to the centre of the curve of the track, in order, that the horizontal component G. sin a cos a, of the wheel-load G, balances the cen trifugal force F. Such a horizontal component of the wheel-load G does not exist in the usual structure of the tramway-tracks, and therefore follows the quick wearing out of the outer sidewalls of the tran'iway-rails in sharp curves.

The groove .9 of the tramway-rail, disposed in the pavement of the street, must always be clean, that the key 71; can run on the base of the groove 8. Therefore openings in the base and side-walls of both rails towards the inner side of the curves are made. These openings shall procure the,

flowing off and sinking downwards of the with the usual subwater out the groove s in the prepared underground, Fig; 4. I

The described invention is also suitable to obviate the creeping of the rails. The train, running northwards and arriving at a higher degree of latitude, will retain the velocity in direction of east, received by the rotation of the earth, also in the northerner degree, having smaller velocity oi the rotation in this direction, and presses against the eastern rail of the track and urges it forward in the direction of the run, whereby the other "rail stands still. An inclination of the upper-surface of the rail-heads in contrary' direction withstands this horizontal force in same manner, as the horizontal centrifugal force. Track in direction westeast and turned about are not influenced by this force.

What I, claim as my invention, is

1. In a railroad'and tramway for curves, rails having their tread surfaces inclined downward toward the center of the curves, in parallel planes, in combination with rolling stock with wheels having convex tire surfaces bearing on said tread surfaces.

2. The combination set forth in elainr 1, in which the wheels have flanges with substantially vertical bearing surfaces.

In testimony whereofl aflix my signature.

GOTTFRIED H. J. MAAS. 7. 

